Other
Scientific paper
Mar 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008sptz.prop50114b&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #50114
Other
Scientific paper
We propose to map the mid?IR spectral features in 5 nearby IR?bright interacting galaxy pairs. Galaxy?galaxy interactions are known to be associated with large IR luminosities and massive molecular gas reservoirs. With ISO and Spitzer demonstrating that the sources producing the cosmic far?IR background (FIRB) are similar to our local LIRGS but at redshifts 0.5?2, it is becoming clear that interactions are a prime driver of galaxy evolution, and may have triggered the bulk of the star formation and AGN activity in the history of the Universe. The details of the process, however, remain poorly understood. In many cases, energy release is triggered several kpc from either galactic nucleus, where giant molecular clouds of the two galaxies impinge. Other evidence suggests that interactions funnel gas to the nuclei to feed black holes and/or trigger nuclear star formation. To study the processes at work in local analogues of the FIRB sources, we propose a spatially-resolved study in a sample of LIRG-class, IR-bright, interacting systems. We combine mid-IR imaging spectroscopy with ground-based 350-micron imaging and mm-wave spectroscopy to probe all components of the dust and interstellar gas. These long-wavelength tools are critical because the traditional optical/near?IR probes are not reliable given the huge extinction in these systems. Our low?res imaging data will provide maps of the PAH & silicate features as well as the molecular hydrogen & nebular fine?structure transitions. These probes will reveal the sites of energy production, probe the conditions of embedded starbursts, and assess the role of active nuclei. Mid-IR molecular hydrogen measurements combined with comprehensive millimeter-wave spectroscopy will provide a complete census of all phases of the molecular gas. Finally the 350-micron images of a larger sample, including sources previously-observed with Spitzer, will provide a complete spatially-resolved SED of the interacting systems, guiding the interpretation of the mid-IR datasets.
Bradford Charles
Dowell Charles (Darren)
Murphy Eric
Smith Douglas J.
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